Sorcery! 4: The Crown of Kings
'Sorcery! 4: The Crown of Kings '''is the fourth game in Inkle's Sorcery! series. Plot The Analander is finally within reach of Mampang! After a long and hard journey, their quest to retrieve the Crown of Kings nears its end. After sneaking into Inner Mampang, the Analander is confronted by a beggar who turns out be Throben, who grants them the power of the Zed spell, both a blessing and a curse, which allows them to return to life after death. This is incredibly useful when Libra's power to let them rewind time can no longer be used within Mampang's walls. After exploring Mampang and its magical colleges and perhaps dying and returning to life a few times, the Analander manages to approach the Archmage's spiral for a final confrontation. The Analander may enter the spiral either by opening the Throben doors or by enlisting the help of the Samaritans of Schinn (but this means bypassing Flanker and Jann if they are alive, heading directly to the top of the spiral). If the Analander enters the Archmage's study without having drank a potion of magical dissolution or without Flanker, Jann or Valiquesh's book, they will immediately fall under the influence of the Crown of Kings and allow themself to be locked in a cell. Jann, if alive, will also be there and therefore the Analander cannot escape without killing them. Should the Analander make it out either by killing Jann then casting a spell or using a key taken from the door upon a previous incarceration (thanks to Zed), they will encounter the Archmage-Goat and be killed. This 'route' always ends in failure and only exists to learn the Archmage's true nature and to obtain the cell key. In the correct route, the Analander must have at least the potion of magical dissolution, Jann, Aliizi, Flanker or Valiquesh with them. * The potion is obtained by helping the beggar in Mampang and then harvesting the appropriate counter spells from the magical colleges. Drinking the potion allows the Analander to resist the Crown's influence and retrieve it alone. * Jann can be saved by going through the false route and retrieving the key after being released from the cell. Set Jann free on the way past their cell and they will join you no matter what you insist on. They can block the Crown's influence, allowing the Analander to retrieve it. * Aliizi must be befriended in the third game and dragged into the Mampang to help overthrow the Archmage. * Flanker is near the library, under the influence of the Crown of Kings. The Analander must cast the appropriate counter spells on him or make him drink the potion of dissolution to free him. He will insist on joining the Analander to confront the Archmage. He can alternately be killed in combat, killed with a spell or preemptively pushed out the window (if the Analander has encountered him more than once). If he is present, the Archmage will try to make him kill the Analander once more, but he will resist it and kill the Archmage instead. * Valiquesh is imprisoned in a book in the Archmage's library called ''The Book of Magical Prisons. The Analander should take this book but not fall under its influence. The Archmage can be entrapped within the book himself. With one of these four things, the Analander can defeat the Archmage and choose the fate of the Crown of Kings. * The Crown of Kings can be destroyed by the Analander, and will always be destroyed by Valiquesh if she is freed but not killed. At this, the Analander will return to Analand (potentially with Jann and/or Flanker) and will become a hero despite the new instability between kingdoms over the Crown's loss. * The Crown can also be retrieved by the Analander, as long as Valiquesh isn't released and alive. Once again, they'll return to Analand, but this time it will go back to the King. * If Jann is not present or is killed, the Analander may simply take the Crown for themself and become the new Archmage. Flanker and the Archmage can be killed or can serve as their general and adviser respectively. * If the Analander releases Valiquesh, they can choose to study under her. Jann will always stay in this scenario while Flanker will always leave. If the Analander broke the Zed curse, they will live and die on their chosen path. If they did not, then they are doomed to return to the spiral every time they die a natural death for all time. Gameplay Sorcery! 4 builds on the gameplay elements of the first three games. The biggest new update is the lack of rewind present in Mampang for story reasons, creating a higher-stakes challenge where every action counts (unless you cast Zed, and even that has consequences). Release Sorcery! 4 has received an extensive digital release. It was released simultaneously for iOS, Android and Steam for PC and Mac in September 2016. Cloud Continuity As well as retaining a full inventory, using a save game backup for the rest of the games in the series can invoke a few special events. From Previous Games * If Flanker was spared in Sorcery! and Sorcery! 3 he can be encountered again, playing a big role in the final scenes. * If Jann was befriended and kept safe until the moment they leave in Sorcery!, they will be found locked in the prison in the Archmage's spiral, also potentially helping the Analander in a crucial moment. * If Kharé was saved in Sorcery! 2, Vik appears to represent the city. * If Kharé was left to fall in Sorcery! 2, the marsh goblins appear to represent the city. * If, in Sorcery! 3, the beacons are unused but all the serpents are defeated (often nicknamed a 'No Beacons, All Serpents' or 'NBAS' run), the Archmage's dialogue upon meeting the Analander will be unique and the ending scroll will not mention that the Analander 'destroyed Tinpang'. In Following Games * A new game+ mode is unlocked upon completing all four games, upping the difficulty of the series. Trivia * The process of Flanker entering Inner Mampang and falling under the influence of the Crown of Kings was detailed in the Flanker's Fate social media event. * Sorcery! 4 marks the first time a Sorcery! game was released on all platforms at once. External Links * Sorcery! at Inkle's official website * Sorcery! 4 on the App Store * Sorcery! 4 on the Google Play Store * Sorcery! 4 on Steam Category:Games